Sarah Thawer (born March 23, 1993), known by her stage name Sarah Drums,[1] is a Canadian drummer residing in Los Angeles.[2] Sarah works with various artists and musicians, as well as solo with her band. Sarah is known for her musical versatility, playing a wide range of genres from jazz and fusion to rock, hiphop, and Indian/World music.[3]
Sarah was born on March 23, 1993 in Scarborough, Ontario.[4] Sarah is a self-taught drummer playing since 2-years-of-age,[5] with her first stage performance at the age of 5.[2] Sarah’s early stage performances were with her father’s band that played Indian, Bollywood, and semi-classical music.[6] Sarah grew up playing the drums and various percussion instruments, including tabla, dholak, and bongos and became accustomed to Gujarati Indian folk rhythms and Bollywood music.[5] Sarah continued experimenting with various percussion instruments and drumming styles until the age of 18.[7] Sarah took piano and western singing lessons for over 10 years.[8]
Upon high school graduation, Sarah attended post secondary education to study music formally. She was rejected from most of the schools, including Berklee College of Music and Manhattan School of Music.[9] Sarah was accepted into one postsecondary institution, called York University[9] where she completed her Bachelor’s in Music in 2015, studying jazz and world music.[10] In 2015, Sarah was awarded the Oscar Peterson Scholarship, the highest award given by her university, in addition to graduating with the Summa Cum Laude distinction.[11][12]
A.R. Rahman invited Sarah to be a part of Coke Studios, which she declined. He then featured her on stage during his North America tour in Toronto, Canada at the Sony Centre.[13][14]
2016-2019
Sarah played and toured internationally with various artists including Charlotte Day Wilson, Ruth B., Tyler Shaw, and George Watsky.[15][16]
2019
Sarah played as a solo musician on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with Tegan and Sarah.[17]
Sarah played for Jon Batiste’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert.[18]
2021
Sarah performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers with The 8G Band.
Sarah opened for Hockey Night in Canada for the Toronto Maple Leafs vs Canadiens de Montréal game.[19]
DECIEM, an umbrella of beauty brands NIOD and The Ordinary, featured Sarah in their campaign, “Beauty Is…”[20]
Sarah was a featured actor on The French Television Channel in Ontario (TFO).
Sarah was a guest drummer at the Life is Beautiful Festival with JammJam[21] in Las Vegas, where she shared the stage with Jacob Collier and Steve Vai.[22]
Sarah played on the soundtrack of Disney and Pixar’s film, Turning Red for Swedish composer, Ludwig Göransson.[23]
2022
Sarah was a featured speaker and performer for a TEDx event organized by the Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Management|Usha Pravin Gandhi (UPG) College in Mumbai, India.[24]
Sarah performed with Teyana Taylor[25] for the Big Femme Energy Tour presented by Femme it Forward—a joint venture with Live Nation Entertainment[26]—in partnership with Amazon Music.[27]
Sarah performed with Canadian indie rock band, Broken Social Scene as their guest drummer in Toronto, Canada at Massey Hall.[28]
Sarah played with Sheila E. in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace.[29]
Comedian, Bill Burr recognized Sarah’s artistry in his Monday Morning Podcast.[30][31]
2023
Sarah performed with Reggie Watts & Eternal Demise on The Late Late Show with James Corden|Late Night with James Corden.[32]
Sarah performed with Jon Batiste in collaboration with Coke Studio for his songs, “Calling Your Name” and “Be Who You Are (Real Magic)” featuring JID, NewJeans, Cat Burns, and Camilo for his album, World Music Radio.[33][34][35]
Sarah was the featured drummer for Wang Leehom’s 2023 stadium tour, ONE Leehom Wang Live in Taiwan and Malaysia.[36][37][38]
Sarah has been endorsed and supported by various drum and music companies, including Evans Drumheads, Vic Firth, Gruv Gear, Zildjian, 64 Audio, Innovative Percussion, Sunhouse, Prologix Percussion, Beyerdynamic, Focusrite, Ultimate Ears (UE) Pro, Instanbul Agop, Pro-Mark, Remo, and Yamaha.[39][40]